"Hungaricums are unique accomplishments related to the 1100-year history of the Hungarian nation within the Carpathian Basin; it is important that we become aware of them, protect them, and that they form part of our everyday lives", stressed Minister for Rural Development and Chairman of the Hungaricum Committee Sándor Fazekas at an event entitled "Hungaricums in Parliament" held on Saturday.

Hungaricums are the embodiment of national unity, and it is important that we embrace their significance, the Minister stressed, pointing out that it had been more than a year since the National Assembly adopted the Act on Hungarian National Values and Hungaricums on 2 April with no votes against. Mr. Fazekas called the new legislation a milestone, created to protect Hungarian values.The Act's regulations create expansive opportunities for the discovery, collection and registration of material and intellectual values that have been created by and are important to the nation. The legislation defined the idea of the Hungarian Value Repository, which Sándor Fazekas called the ante-chamber to becoming a Hungaricum.

The Hungaricum Act fulfils the basic objective that social self-organisation should apply to all Hungarian peoples while cultural values that project a unified spirit should be protected. The Minister also noted that the Government had last week adopted the implementation decree with regard to the Hungaricum Act, which means that the organised collection of values that are important to the Hungarian peoples may now begin within a legally regulated framework. The search for such values is in the interests of national strategy, Sándor Fazekas stated, adding that the compilation of the Hungarian Value Repository requires a collection movement involving the whole nation. Accordingly, a multi-step, pyramid system has been developed that relies heavily on those communities in whose value systems culture and the nation occupy and important place.

Only the most excellent Hungarian values are classified as Hungaricums. The title may be awarded by the Hungaricum Committee to those material and intellectual values and creations that represent the greatest achievements of the Hungarian nation. In addition, it is the opinion of the Minister that one of the important, primary tasks is to greatly increase awareness of these Hungaricums both at home and abroad. In the interests of affording the greatest possible protection to the most significant values of the Hungarian peoples, the Hungaricum classification will soon receive a trademark, Sándor Fazekas said.

All of the speakers at the event held in the Parliament building stressed the importance of protecting and preserving national values, including Deputy Speaker of Parliament Sándor Lezsák, Minister of State for Sport of the Ministry of Human Resources István Simicskó, members of the Hungaricum Committee, Zsolt Horváth MP and Magdolna Závogyán, Director-General of the National Institute of Public Education and Public Collections.

Participants at the event, designed to promote national values, including Hungaricums, viewed presentations on values such as the dance-house movement, the Aggtelek stalactite cave, the ancient Christian cemetery in Pécs and the Danube banks, the Buda Castle district and Andrássy Avenue in Budapest, as well as the Pannonhalma Benedictine Abbey and its natural environment, the Busó festivities in Mohács, Herend Porcelain and grape marc pálinka.

(MTI, Press Office of the Ministry of Rural Development)